What humanoid automaton did Leonardo da Vinci design for a Milan court pageant in 1495?

Leonardo da Vinci designed a mechanical knight for a Milan court pageant in 1495.

The machine was a humanoid automaton dressed in armor and reportedly intended to sit, stand, move its arms, and operate its jaw. Leonardo created it for a festival organized by Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan.

The original device has not survived, and the available evidence comes mainly from Leonardo’s anatomical and mechanical drawings. In 2002, roboticist Mark Rosheim built a working reconstruction based on those drawings and related notes.

The mechanical knight is distinct from Leonardo’s mechanical lion, a later ceremonial machine associated with France. Calling the knight a “robot” is a modern description: the word itself was not used in Renaissance Italy, but the automaton’s programmable mechanical movements make the comparison understandable.